Authored by
PN Sampath Kumar
Cochin Shiptard, Kochi
The Port city of Melaka was ruled by one Parameswara, a Hindu
King, who is said to have embraced Islam and established the Melaka
Sultanate. His successors were defeated
by Portuguese led by “Alfonso de Albuquerque” of Goa . The Dutch followed, them and then British and
later the nationalist movement culminating in independence.
The chronology of events recorded in the annals of history of
most of the port cities in the east, as made known to us by the Westerners are
very similar. And this
commonness they shared with Cochin, my current home town,
attracted me to such heritage cities in the
east.
The picture portrayed in my mind about Malaysia has a
lot to do with the readings in my younger days.
Cities of Penang
and Melaka had already been there in my childhood mind and I wanted to visit
these places as a wanderer when I grew up.
Places like Perek, are even more historically important as
far as Indian connections are concerned. The “Chola” kings have either conquered or had treaties with most of the states throughout the east. Interestingly there is mention of one ‘Gangai
Nagara’ that existed in the Perek State of Northern Malaysia. It is possible that King Rajendra Chola had
been honoured with the title of ‘Gangai Konda Chola’ after his conquering Gangai Nagara a very rich kingdom in Malaysia, which was under the rule of the
Sri Vijayan Dynasty.
Due to time constraint, when I had to choose one among the
three, I opted “Melaka” for its proximity to Singapore.
Legend is that after he was made to flee from Singapura, his
earlier base, Parameswara a Sri Vijayan King, landed on the banks of the small
river mouth (Bertam River) sometime in the year 1405. While resting, he witnessed the interesting
scene of his hunter dogs being chased by a mouse deer, forcing them towards the
river. He considered this to be a good
omen and decided to establish a port City in Melaka. To deal with the initial opposition raised by
Ayuthaya, the Thai kingdom, he approached the Chinese kings for support and
took the local pirates (Orang Lauts) along.
For centuries, Melaca was a strategic trade point. The sailors had to rely on the trade winds
before setting sail to the next point and had ample time to trade and
accumulate goods till the winds changed direction.
Hundreds of languages were spoken in that city. Hundreds of ships called on the port each
month. Traders from the west, Arabia,
Java, South India, Gujarat, Bengal , China and Thailand traded their commodities
like spices, sandalwood, camphor, tin, etc…
As this fetched good revenue, the rulers employed
professional services of Wharf masters, repairers, hydrology experts, etc,
who maintained the river navigable and provided security. The strong trading community provided
sufficient warehousing, transport and banking facilities.
But all these are history book stuff. We wanted to witness and feel it. I had
slight fear of getting disappointed as this place never figured in any so
called “conducted tour operator’s” programs promoted in India . Initial surfing in the internet also did not
suggest much more than this. However, it turnedf out to be something to cherish.
To be continued....